


218

by shadyplots



Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: F/F, the attempt where tahani and eleanor are soulmates, we were ROBBED
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-10 20:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12307614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadyplots/pseuds/shadyplots
Summary: we've all been waiting for this lbr





	1. Chapter 1

"This is your soulmate, Tahani." Michael said, the joy in his voice all those attempts ago slowly draining away. He gestured to a figure behind him in the doorway, light flooding in from outside. The person stood posed behind him, and Eleanor craned her neck to look at her partner in eternity. Were they hot? Did they look nice? Or was the soulmate of the other Eleanor someone who'd get suspicious, ask too many questions when something seemed wrong? 

"Oh - Hey, dude." Eleanor finally looked at the slender woman leaning in the doorway, and grinned. This girl may not be her rightful soulmate, and she may have lied her way into this situation, but this Tahani was totally her type. She had legs for days, and long glossy black hair that tumbled gently down her back in waves. Eleanor felt less inclined to tell her the truth already - why dob yourself in when she could live this beautiful lie, and spend all eternity with a literal goddess? 

"He-llo." Tahani said admiringly, looking Eleanor up and down. She had a sparkle of interest in her dark eyes. "It's lovely to meet you, soulmate!" Her voice was bright and she had a strong British accent, making Eleanor feel a bit shit in comparison. 

Michael smiled weakly, and watched as Eleanor walked over to Tahani, before slipping through the door of the tiny house unnoticed. This left the two of them alone in the front room - Eleanor standing by the wall where stairs should be, Tahani still loitering at the door.

Tahani spoke first. 

"I never expected my soulmate would be a girl." She murmured, an interesting affection in her voice - shock was a part of it, but not disappointment or confusion. Was Tahani straight then? Or just in denial. Ooh, or maybe the other Eleanor wasn't seeking romance. That'd suck. This Eleanor had gotten her hopes up already

"Well, soulmates can be platonic." Eleanor suggested. "I mean, I'm down for whatever, but-" She trailed off, noticing how amused Tahani looked. 

"Oh, no." Tahani said. "You've got it all wrong. I'm fine with this, I just didn't know Michael knew. I didn't tell anyone, to be honest." 

"Oh!" This time it was Eleanor's turn to be surprised. "In which case, we're all good." She felt stuck on what to say, but felt she had to elaborate somehow. "This isn't earth, it's the good place, right? I feel like Michael knows things we've never said out loud. Stuff we kept a secret. He's a god or something, I'm pretty sure Gods are capable of shirt on that level."

Wait, what?

"Shirt? Fork, why can't I say shirt?"

Tahani chuckled, and Eleanor felt her cheeks burn red.

"There's a swear filter here, I believe." 

"That's bullshirt!" Eleanor proclaimed, promoting another laugh from Tahani. "Anyway, if we've been matched together it's probably for a reason." Eleanor felt bad blatantly lying like this, but everything else she'd said was true. Michael did seem to know things that even she didn't recognise herself - Eleanor had some intuition that Michael was smarter than he let on. "So, Tahani - do you fancy some Frozen Yogurt? Bonding?"

Tahani smirked. 

"I suppose now's as good a time as any..." 

Eleanor grabbed the other woman's hand and led her out the door.

* * *

"So, Tahani? What did you do for a living?" Eleanor asked, her mouth full of yogurt. "I mean, what did you do?" Tahani was disgusted by Eleanor's eating habits, but did not comment, instead distracting herself with the toppings bar. 

"I was a model." Tahani started slowly. "An actress too, and an activist. I raised _billions_ for charity... but I don't like to brag, of course." She stirred her frogurt with the plastic spoon. "How about you? I hear you were quite an inspiration yourself."

"Hmm?" Eleanor said, wiping chocolate sauce from her lips. "Yeah. Yeah, I was. Went on all these missions to help starving kids. And stuff." She struggled to remember the other stuff that Michael had told her. "Oh, and I was a barrister? A solicitor? No wait, I was a lawyer."

"That sounds positively delightful!" Tahani exclaimed. "I can see why you ended up in the Good Place with me." Eleanor couldn't tell if this was a lie. Sure, her records looked great, but she could feel Tahani's gaze burning into her as she failed to eat Yogurt like a competent human being. She just prayed the other woman hadn't noticed something was up, that the edge to her voice was a thing all British people had. 

That was probably it, right? 

She decided to change the subject. 

"So, Tahani, you were a model? That's pretty rad." Tahani seemed confused by the wording, but nodded anyway.

"Oh yes - my true passion was raising money, of course, no better feeling than helping people - but it was fun nonetheless. Very rewarding." Tahani flipped her hair over her shoulder, and Eleanor felt her heart flutter slightly.

"I can see why you'd make a good model." She blurted, before she could stop herself. 

Tahani blushed slightly, and tried to come up with a retort. 

"You're already trying to charm me, aren't you Eleanor?"

Eleanor leaned in, and locked her fingers in with Tahani's. 

"What if I am?"

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it gets gay

"So what if you are?" Tahani snorted, not drawing her hand away. "What kind of question is that? It's very important if you are!" She leaned into Eleanor awkwardly, and smiled. "I mean, I wouldn't be mad if you are."

Eleanor sighed, and made to move her hand from Tahani's. 

"If I'm annoying you, I can stop."

"No, don't stop!" Tahani yelled, far too loud, prompting the other patrons at the frozen yogurt counter to look at her. A blush spread across her rounded cheeks. "I mean - we are soulmates, no? This is what we're meant to do."

Eleanor shook her head. She still felt bad for deceiving Tahani, for pretending to be her one true love when she was really destined to die alone. Thinking about it, probably one of the first times she'd felt bad for anything. 

"We don't have to." Eleanor said finally, each word measured, eyes scanning Tahani's face. The other girl responded before she'd even finished talking, her tone flustered slightly. 

"But I'd like to! I mean, I'd like to keep holding hands, and I'd like to keep talking." Tahani paused to take a breath. "I like you a lot, soulmate."

"About that." Eleanor said. "I like you a lot too, but if we're going to progress into something I have to let you in on a secret." Tahani nodded, looking a little confused. "Now Tahani, you promise to stick by me no matter what I do?"

"I am your soulmate, after all."

"Well, Tahani - that's not quite the case. There's been a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"Yep." Eleanor said, brightly. "I'm not meant to be here. My name is Eleanor Shellstrop, but I didn't do all of the things Michael said I did. I'm here in the place of someone else - and I'm meant to be in the bad place." 

Tahani's expression faltered, and she looked like she was about to cry. 

"That's... unfortunate." She finally mustered. "I mean, I do _so_ like you, and I really want to continue this thing we have going on." She looked at Eleanor. "But if someone else is meant to be my soulmate, how can I let her remain down there in the bad place? Whatever do I do?"

Eleanor took another mouthful of yogurt, and spoke, her voice muffled by the sprinkles crammed in her mouth. 

"You could probably trade her for me, I mean-"

"I won't do that!" Tahani seemed appalled at the suggestion, and then pointed her finger in the air like she had an idea. "I have an idea." 

"You have an idea?" Eleanor said, un-knowingly gripping the other woman's hand tighter. 

"Yes!" Tahani squealed. "So, if this other Eleanor - the _real_ Eleanor - is such a good person, she shouldn't mind being in the bad place, right? She's a hard worker, I'm sure she can put up with a teensy bit of torture. Plus, she'd hate to send someone as lovely as you there, I bet."

"Wrong, probably." Eleanor interjected. "But continue."

"Oh, I'm done." Tahani said, slyly. "Just leave her there, it'll be fine!"

"Tahani, are you sure you're meant to be in the good place? Because damning an innocent woman for eternity doesn't seem like something..." She caught the look on Tahani's face, and stopped. "Fine. I've never particularly cared about things that didn't affect me, so why start now?"

Tahani's eyes widened nervously. 

"You care about me, though, right?"

"Well yeah, hot stuff." Eleanor exclaimed, grinning. "You affect me a hell of a lot."

Tahani blushed, and twisted a lock of her hair around her finger. 

"Eleanor, would you mind if I kissed you? I mean-"

"Go ahead, Tahani."

Tahani leaned forward, her hair falling into her frozen yogurt as her lips met Eleanor's. Eleanor reached forward, and cupped Tahani's chin in her hands, before moving further still and linking her arms around Tahani's neck. Eleanor's lips were soft - they tasted of the chocolate sauce that had decorated her fro-yo, which made sense, but still added to the sense of magic for Tahani. 

When they broke apart, Eleanor choked out a laugh.

"Fork the other Eleanor! If you aren't my soulmate then how the shirt was that so good?"

Tahani pulled her hair from the Froyo cup and grimaced, before meeting Eleanor's eyes. 

"I must say, that kiss was pretty good. Almost as good as the time-"

"Save it, babe." 


End file.
